Support for Rosa Weber among women who work in Justice – 08/31/2023 – Frederico Vasconcelos

On the eve of the retirement of Rosa Weber, president of the Federal Supreme Court and of the National Council of Justice, twenty influential women in the justice system identify in the minister the profile of who should succeed her in the court.

Consulted by the blog, they see their administration –committed to the defense of human rights and democracy– as a model for reducing gender disparity in the Judiciary.

Weber would like a woman to be nominated. But she won’t work by any name.

Like Ellen Gracie, her predecessor, Weber did justice without raising her voice. Like Carmen Lúcia, she visited prisons.

There were no specific questions asked of the participants, to make them feel comfortable. All received the same request: a brief assessment of the minister’s performance in the STF and CNJ.

Ellen and Carmen did not manifest. Two prosecutors and a judge chose not to participate in the consultation.

Below are excerpts from the comments.

“Rosa Weber ends her career in the judiciary as a model judge, an inspiration to all Brazilian women”, says Maria Thereza de Assis Moura, president of the Superior Court of Justice. It emphasizes “technical rigor, ethics, discretion and sensitivity”.

His presidency was marked by attacks on the Three Powers, on January 8, says the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic Luiza Frischeisen. “When she reopened the work of the STF, the message was of unshakable democracy, resistance and reconstruction”, she says.

Weber “resisted amid the debris of the Plenary, raised fragile spirits and tenaciously acted as guardian of the Constitution, in a firm and serene way”, he says. Raquel dodge. “She will be remembered as the president who kept the pillars of democracy intact”, says the former PGR.

“The image of Minister Rosa crossing the esplanade arm in arm with President Lula will remain in my memory, a remarkable union in defense of democracy and institutions”, says the lawyer dora Cavalcanti, from the Prerogatives group. She highlights the concern of visiting prisons and resuming the agenda of prison mutirões”.

the minister Regina Helena Costa, of the STJ, says that Weber was noted “for his social sensitivity, in particular concern for the underprivileged and vulnerable, and for indigenous populations”.

Weber “acted with fearlessness and firmness, rejecting vile attacks against the Supreme Court and democracy and implementing transformative actions for gender and race equity, so necessary in this unequal Brazilian society”, he says. Ivana FarinaGoiás state attorney and former CNJ counselor.

“She showed all the strength of the woman, when facing with courage and fearlessness obscurantist forces that intended to deconstruct the democratic institutions”, says the Public Prosecutor Valderez Deusdedit Abbud, from São Paulo and former vice-president of the MPD. Weber “was not intimidated by pressures that sought to exclude the most vulnerable segments of the population from legal protection”.

“Your presidency will always be a milestone of the effort and competence of so many women who seek to contribute to a more dignified and humane Brazil”, says Tereza Exnerformer inspector of the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Cristiane Damasceno, president of the National Commission for Women Lawyers, of the OAB, says that, “it was a breakthrough to have her in the leadership of the highest Court”. At the CNJ, she approved the trial from a gender perspective. “She demonstrated her commitment to inclusion and democracy.”

“The minister was discreet. She judged cases without commenting on them, never anticipated her position. She never occupied podiums or microphones that do not belong to a magistrate”, says the judge Maria Lucia Pizzotti, from the TJ-SP. She says she disagreed with some of the minister’s decisions.

But Weber “didn’t take sides, didn’t opine politically, and never attended political conferences or so-called academic events.” According to Pizzotti, she “was balanced amid so much vanity”.

“An aesthetic observation that always pleased me were the elegant colored silk scarves, breaking the serious black of the toga”, he says.

the political scientist Maria Tereza sadek says that “away from the spotlight, Weber managed to combine discretion and energetic acting”. “He responded with firmness and determination in defense of democracy and the judiciary.”

salise Sanchotene, from the CNJ, says that the minister “led us with leadership and achieving strength”. “With a focus on human rights, management promoted national mobilization for the adoption of the Trial Protocol with a Gender Perspective and for the expansion of women’s representation in the Judiciary.”

“I am grateful to witness the role played by a woman of great courage and assertiveness,” she says.

the judge Ligia Bisognian ombudsman for the TJ-SP, says that Weber “kept discretion and courtesy as attributes”.

“He made a point of not presenting himself as an oak – a rigid tree, but because it is hollow, it falls in the storm – however, he preferred to be flexible like bamboo, bending, in the right measure, in the storm and resisting.”

Weber “imprinted agility and celerity”. Sensitive themes were guided and strictly followed, says Vanessa Mateus, president of the Paulista Association of Magistrates. “The change in the bylaws provided greater promptness in requests for views.”

The lawyer Maria Berenice Dias says that Weber highlighted the enormous significance of female participation in instances of Power. “At various times it was present in defense of the rights of the most vulnerable segments.”

Laurita Vazfrom the STJ, says that Weber “has shown serenity in conducting work and a republican spirit in his relationship with the other Powers”.

Weber played a central role in defending democratic institutions, says the Public Defender Luciana Carvalho, from Sao Paulo. “The defense of fundamental rights and its concern to guarantee access to justice in the context of digital transformation is relevant”. He demonstrated “concern and sensitivity with the prison situation”.

the federal judge Clara Mota, from Ajufe Mulheres, considers relevant the institution of deadlines for the return of votes and the judgment of the “secret budget”. It highlights the female inclusion agenda in the CNJ and the fight against gender violence.

Maria Cristina Peduzziof the Superior Labor Court, says that Rosa Weber “always acts discreetly and firmly, symbolizing the importance of female participation in the centers of Power.”

Weber “reinforces our conviction that women in spaces of power are absolutely essential for us to advance towards a more just, plural and democratic society”, says Camila Marques Barroso, General Ombudsman of the São Paulo Public Defender’s Office. “Women’s participation in decision-making spaces is still absolutely negligible”, she says.